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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · craft · racket · branch · saw · dip · hand · board

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. key — the most important part
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. dip — to sink
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. craft — boats
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. board — a committee
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — a skill
  15. hand — help
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hand — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com